Simplicity is key, according to Joe Dunne ahead of Cambridge United’s clash with Grimsby Town on Saturday.

The obvious disruption over the last few weeks, mixed with the flurry of games and waterlogged pitches at their training ground has meant that the U’s coaching staff have had little times with the players on the pitch.

“There's not a lot of time [to train] with the pitches being wet,” he said.

“Simplicity, it’s just keeping it simple.

“There’s no real major messages from me, the players are in control of what they want to do really.

"We’ll give them the information that they need today and then it’s just [keeping it] simple and we’ll move on and play the game on Saturday.

“Sometimes playing games can give you the training that you need, so straight onto the next one.”

A positive for the head coach is that players are slowly but surely returning to the squad after long absences.

The likes of Piero Mingoia and Jabo Ibehre are expected back within the next few weeks while Medy Elito and Barry Corr should also be available from the visit of the manager-less Mariners.

One of the things that the U’s have proved this season is that they can be versatile, with the change from the diamond to a wider formation with David Amoo in particular proving beneficial against Chesterfield.

And Dunne said keeping the instructions simple should help everyone understand their responsibilities, allowing a seamless transition between players and formations during games.

“Keeping it simple with the information we give to the players should allow us, whoever makes the team we pick, create the same responsibility for each individual,” he said.

“For example, two players for one position with the same information doesn’t complicate things too much.

“We’ve had a couple of in-game changes in recent weeks where we can adapt to a new formation to give ourselves more options, i.e in the wide areas or the midfield areas.

“We just want to keep the information as clear as possible so whatever team is picked knows what they are doing irrespective of shape or anything, they know what they are doing, and they know what their responsibility is.

He added: “We have a situation where we could, if we felt, make changes and we would expect the same level or performance and responsibility if we made those changes.

“We have trust in the group, we have trust among ourselves and that has to continue.”